


A World in Disarray

by carolej126



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Family, Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: Little Britches ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 22:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18455765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolej126/pseuds/carolej126
Summary: Written in response to a 2012 VinList Finish the Story challenge.Sometimes even adults need time-out.





	A World in Disarray

_Dark clouds gathered over the distant mountains a promise of the coming storm. However, they seemed insignificant when compared to the tempest which raged within. As the slamming door served to emphasize how out of control the whole situation had become._

******

Vin watched, his eyes wide, feeling like his world was coming to an end, as JD tearfully stared down the hallway. Then the little boy made a dash for the door, calling “Da! Da!”

Even though he didn’t understand what was happening, Vin knew he couldn’t let JD run outside after Buck. So, he moved to head him off, only to skid to a halt on the wood floor as Chris intercepted the younger boy, hoisting the five year old into his arms.

“Buck! I want my Buck,” JD wailed, nearly dislodging Chris’s grasp as he squirmed to get down. 

Vin didn’t know what to do. Pressing in tight against Chris’s leg, he clung to the bottom edge of his dad’s shirt. 

“I want my Buck!” JD repeated over and over, continuing his frantic attempts to reach the floor. “Buck!” 

“Not now, JD,” Chris said, tucking JD tighter against his side. “Buck just needs a few minutes to himself.”

“No! No! Buck!” JD pleaded, stretching out his arms in the direction of his absent father. 

Vin swallowed hard, trying not to cry. He’d seen Buck get mad before, but it was never aimed at the boys. Never at JD. Until now. 

“JD, I need you to calm down,” Chris said, gently rubbing the little boy’s back. “It’s okay.”

As Vin watched, the five year old’s sobs tapered off and his arms went around Chris’s neck.

“I want my Buck,” JD said again, this time in a whisper.

“I know you do.”

Vin took a deep breath, still not sure what had happened. “Dad?”

Chris looked down at Vin. “It’s okay,” he repeated. “Buck’s just a little upset about that phone call he got.” He brushed a kiss across JD’s head and then rested a hand on Vin’s shoulder. “It had nothing to do with either of you.”

Vin nodded. That, he could understand. Sometimes he got mad, too, and said things he didn’t mean, things that he felt sorry about later. And sometimes he’d stomped off, wanting to be alone. 

“He yelled,” JD said quietly.

Chris nodded. “Yes, he did. But he’s not really mad at you.” 

“I want my Da.”

“I know. But it’s best we leave Buck alone for a few minutes. Let him think things over.”

Vin’s eyes grew wide. “Is he in time-out?” He waited breathlessly for the answer.

Chris smiled. “No, he just needs some time to calm down.”

Pursing his lips, Vin thought for a moment. It sounded an awful lot like time-out to him. “When the teachers want us to calm down we have t’ sit in time-out.”

“Well,” Chris laughed. “I guess it is like time-out, then. And when Buck is ready, he’ll come back inside.”

“Chwith?” JD said, his thumb in his mouth. 

“Yes, JD,” Chris answered patiently.

“What made Da so mad?”

That was what Vin wanted to know, too. If Buck wasn’t really mad at JD, then why did he yell at him? And would he do it again?

“Let’s sit down,” Chris said. He lowered JD to the floor, and then led the two boys over to the couch. 

Vin snuggled close, JD copying his actions on the other side.

“It was something the D.A. told him,” Chris began. “You know Buck has been in court all week, right?”

Both boys nodded. 

“Test’fying,” Vin said. 

Chris smiled. “Right.”

Vin smiled back. 

“Well, it seems that one of the witnesses has changed her story.”

JD wrinkled his nose in confusion. “She was reading a book to the judge?”

That didn’t sound right. Vin didn’t think that’s what really happened when Buck went to court. 

Chris shook his head. “No, it means that she’s changed her mind about what she saw. Now she says that she _didn’t_ see the bad guys do anything wrong.”

Vin took that in. “Was she lying?” he asked. Lying was bad, he knew that. And lying to a judge was even worse. There should be a swear jar for liars, too. 

“I think she was,” Chris answered.

“And now the judge’ll have t’ let the bad guys go?” Vin asked. That wasn’t right. Bad guys needed to be in jail where they couldn’t hurt anybody, especially his dad, and Buck, and his uncles. 

“No,” Chris reassured. “But it does mean that Buck will have to work even harder to make sure everyone knows that the bad guys did break the law and that they should go to jail.” He smiled sadly. “And it means he’ll have to spend more time away from you boys than he wants to. He misses you.”

“I miss him, too,” Vin said quietly. He really did. Buck had been leaving the house before Vin and JD even got up, and getting home way after Chris. And he’d been too tired to play with the boys, or go for rides, or watch any movies with them. 

“I know,” Chris sighed. “That’s why Buck got mad. He wasn’t really mad about JD being too loud, he was just mad at the situation. But once Buck is done with this case, things will be back to normal around here. Okay?”

JD exhaled loudly. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Vin echoed, hoping Buck would be done with the case, and the judge, and the lying lady soon. He wanted Buck _home_.

“Hey, I have an idea.” Pushing to his feet, Chris reached down toward the boys, who automatically took his outstretched hands. “Buck’ll be back in a couple minutes, so why don’t we do something special to make him feel better.”

Vin smiled as Chris pulled him to his feet. That sounded like a really good idea. But what could they do to make Buck feel better? He always felt better when he ate cookies, but he wasn’t sure that would work for a grown-up. “Like what?” he asked.

“Well, how ‘bout we make his favorite food for supper tonight.”

“Mac’roni an’ cheese,” JD said enthusiastically.

“That’s not Buck’s fav’rite,” Vin started to say, knowing that macaroni and cheese was really JD’s favorite food.

“Good idea,” Chris agreed, smiling at Vin, who shrugged.

“What do you think we should do, Vin?”

“Maybe Buck could read the next chapter of our book tonight,” he asked almost hesitantly, knowing it was Chris’s turn. He loved to listen to his dad read, but if it would help Buck feel better, he’d let Buck do it tonight. “Would that be okay?”

“That would be more than okay,” Chris said. 

“Is there anything else that you-“ Chris broke off as Buck appeared in the doorway.

“Da!” 

As JD ran to his dad, Buck swept him into a hug. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Little Bit. It was the wrong thing to do, and you didn’t deserve it. Ol’ Buck was just in a bad mood.”

“Is you feeling better now?”

Buck tossed JD up into the air, and then caught him as the small boy squealed his delight. “I reckon I am.”

“You’re not mad anymore?” Vin asked. He had to make sure. 

“Well,” Buck said thoughtfully, meeting Vin’s gaze, “I can’t say that. But, things’ll work out. You’ll see.”

Vin let out his breath in relief. It was true. While Buck still looked a little mad, his eyes were full of “I’m sorry” and “I love you.”

“Did you stomp your feet when you was mad?” JD asked curiously. “My teacher said that it’s okay to do that.”

“I guess I did.”

“Did you kick a tree or the fence? That’s okay, too.”

Buck nodded. “Well, I might have, JD.”

“Did you make a fist with your hands and shake ‘em around?” JD demonstrated his words, nearly bopping Buck in the nose. 

Vin tipped his head in consideration. If Buck had stomped his feet, and kicked a tree, and shook his fists, maybe he’d done something else, too. Something that would mean more money for the swear jar. 

“Easy, there, JD.” Buck caught JD’s hands in his own.

“Did you say any bad words?” Vin asked innocently. 

Buck opened his mouth, and then closed it with a snap. “Nice try, Junior.”

Vin dissolved into giggles, pretty sure that Buck _had_ used some bad words, out there where the two boys couldn’t hear him. But that still counted, he was sure of it, and he’d make sure Buck put some dollars into the jar before they went to bed. 

“Let’s go make supper, Da. We’s gonna have your favorite food!”

“Oh?” Buck asked curiously.

“Mac’roni and cheese,” Vin said, deciding to go along with it. Macaroni and cheese was pretty good, even though he liked chicken nuggets better, and if Buck didn’t want to eat all of his, he’d probably share it with the two boys.

“Ah, yes, _my_ favorite food,” Buck teased.

Vin just smiled.

“You ready?” Chris asked, lifting Vin into the air, and propping the youngster on his hip. 

Vin wrapped his arms around his dad, holding on tight, happy that everything was right with his world again. 

~end~


End file.
